What are placental stem cells and what are placental stem cells used for? As placental stem cells get explored for a variety of therapeutic applications, these questions become increasingly important. The opportunity to collect placental stem cells is also a once in a lifetime opportunity. [Read more…]
Stem Cell Therapy in India – ReeLabs into Diabetes Clinical Trial
Stem cell therapy in India is emerging as a new modality within the healthcare system. The progress is supported by numerous innovators within the country. One company forging the way is ReeLabs, a leading stem cell bank in India that is supporting the collection and storage of stem cells, as well as the development of novel stem cell therapeutics.
Diabetes Mellitus in India
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), diabetes mellitus (DM), commonly referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic disorders in which there are high blood sugar levels over a prolonged period. Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common diseases globally.
In India, the prevalence of diabetes is rising, predominantly related to factors such as genetic factors, stress, diet, obesity, lack of meaningful exercise and lifestyle related issues. [Read more…]
How the Cord Blood and Tissue Market is Changing
The global cord blood and tissue banking market is consolidating, driven by the emergence of holding companies and aggressive M&A activity. This is creating risks for cord blood market participants, as well as new opportunities.
Serious threats to the industry include:
- Low rates of stored cord blood utilization
- Utilization of bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cells as alternative sources of stem cells for HSCT
- Growing prevalence of haploidentical transplantation
- Expensive transplant procedures, ranging from $200-300K
- Difficulty educating Obstetricians about the future value of cellular therapies
- Low rates of market penetration
- Low rates of cord blood awareness among expectant parents
Celularity – Big Bucks, Billionaire Investors, Bold Dreams
Celularity is a biotechnology company that specializes in leveraging biologically active cell populations within the postpartum human placenta. Founded on the pioneering work of Robert Hariri, MD, PhD, in human placenta-derived cellular therapeutics and biomaterials, Celularity is uniquely positioned to harness the potential of most biocreative event on earth: human birth.
I had the honor of interviewing Celularity’s CEO, Dr. Robert Hariri, a pioneer and visionary within the stem cell industry. As a surgeon, biomedical scientist and serial entrepreneur, Dr. Hariri was previously the Founder and CEO of one of the world’s largest human cellular therapeutics companies, Celgene Cellular Therapeutics, a division of Celgene Corporation. In August 2017, Hariri brought Celularity Inc. into the spotlight by announcing a successful Series A financing with contributions from influential investors, including Sorrento Therapeutics, United Therapeutics Corporation, and Human Longevity, Inc. (HLI).
On February 15th, 2018, the company broke even bigger news when it announced that it had raised $250 million in funding, with contributions from the Genting Group, Tony Robbins, and Dreyfus Family Office, among others.
Below is Part 2 of a two-part interview with Celularity’s CEO, Dr. Robert Hariri. Click here to read Part 1.
Pluristem Partners with Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center for Phase I/II Trial in Steroid-Refractory Chronic GvHD
- Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center will act as the sponsor of the study
- PLX-PAD cells have demonstrated efficacy in preclinical models of GvHD
HAIFA, Israel, Nov. 06, 2017 — Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:PSTI) (TASE:PSTI), a leading developer of placenta-based cell therapy products, today announced that it has signed an agreement with Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov Hospital) to conduct a Phase I/II trial in PLX-PAD cell therapy for the treatment of Steroid-Refractory Chronic Graft-versus-Host-Disease (GvHD).
The trial will be an investigator initiated study. As such, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center will support the study and will be responsible for its design and implementation. Dr. Ron Ram, Director of the Hematology Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplantation Unit for the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center will act as principal investigator.
GvHD is a potentially lethal complication of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) from a donor. When a patient receives a donor’s stem cells, the transplanted cells identify the patient’s body as foreign and attack it. The chronic form of GvHD occurs at least 100 days following the transplantation. The GvHD market is predicted to exceed $500 million by 2023. [Read more…]
